Photos by Cheryl Wertman – At Medina’s first practice today at Vets Park quarterback Hadrian Batista works on a pass play while Christian Moss goes through an agility drill.

Autumn like temperatures greeted the start of preseason practice for area high school football teams today.

After having just two weeks of practice before the first game the past two years teams this season are returning to the traditional schedule of three weeks of preseason practice. The schedule will have two weeks of practice followed by a scrimmage on Saturday August 31. Then another week of practice before the season opening games on Friday September 6.

“It’s definitely a plus,” said Albion Head Coach David Skrip of the return to three weeks of preseason practice. “We were really rushing to get things in with just the two weeks of practice” he added noting that under that schedule the first time a team went against another team was the first game. “This way it gives us more time to get the kids in football shape, to get game ready and to have a scrimmage before the first game,” he said. “It’s really better and safer for the kids.”

Albion will open the season at Olean, Medina will face Roy-Hart/Barker at Barker and Holley will visit Red Jacket on September 6.

Preseason practice for the other fall sports teams including boys and girls soccer, field hockey, volleyball, golf and boys and girls cross-country will begin next Monday.

At Holley, Hawk lineman work on a drill.

At Albion the Purple Eagles get in some sprints.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Albion’s Jace Torres looks to follow a block to go for a touchdown during Saturday’s season opening home field Mini Division win over Lyndonville.

Albion youth football squads swept to three wins over visiting league newcomer Lyndonville Saturday to open the Niagara Orleans Football Association season.

Beginners
Albion 33, Lyndonville 14

Patrick Westlund and Kenny Almonte both ran for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns for Albion. Almonte also added 2 PAT’s. Hudson Palmer had a 36 yard TD run and a PAT. Also on the ground, Gunner Jackson 11 yards, Lucas Rotthoff 8, Royce Rotthoff 5 and Neil Farley added a yard.

Royce Rotthoff, Arlene Beecher, Jai’heem Drisdom and Almote led the Eagles defense with 4 tackles each. Westlund was in on 3 stops.

For Lyndonville, Bryson Holloway had a 75 yard touchdown run and Adrian Winters a 5 yard TD carry set up by aa 50 yard run by Holloway. Winters and Nicaly Rhim added the extra points.

Mini
Albion 39, Lyndonville 0

Jace Torres led the Eagles offense with 99 yards rushing, 2 touchdowns and a 33 yard TD pass reception from Cayden Farrell. Kyle Schomske had a 70 yard td run. Jai’Kaih Drisdom added a 38 yard TD. Also on the ground, Moses Taylor 17 yards, Conor Murphy 14, Farrell 12, Harrison Froman 7 and Isaac Button 3 yards. Elian Almonte, Kairo Bennett and Button added PAT’s.

Bennett led the defense with 7 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries. Almonte and Schomske had 3 tackles each, Froman, Murphy, Torres had 2 apiece. Greyson Roberts, Zacery Rice, Carter Carithers, Patrick Gardner and Button added 1 each.

JV
Albion 40, Lyndonville 14

Led by the great blocking up front, Heyden Almonte had a huge day on the ground. He finished the day with 314 yards and 5 touchdowns. Ethan Olles added 7 yards and a TD.

Colton Moreland led the Eagles defense with 10 tackles. Connor Hinckley 4, Giovanni LaMartina, Jace Weight, Lincoln Voorhees and Almonte 2 each. Brady Graham and Mason Rotthoff 1 each. Camden Holt had 3 tackles, a fumble recovery and interception.

Lyndonville’s touchdowns were scored on a run by Damereon Shine and a 65 yard kickoff return by Ay’Marie Rutland.

The game was halted after the third quarter due to bad weather.

In a near instant replay of Saturday’s opening games, the Medina Mustangs 16U baseball team split with the same two foes today to close out competition in the Can-O-Corn Tournament at Sandusky, Ohio.

Medina again opened with a win over the Whitby, Ontario Cubs this time by an 11-0 score as Vinny Gray and Lukas Grimes combined to hurl a no hitter with 5 strikeouts.

The Mustangs broke the game open with 5 runs in the third inning and 4 more in the fourth.

Gray, Grimes and Nick Harling all banged out triples in the third as Kolton Fletcher added a single and Tyler Kroening a sacrifice fly.

Kroening and Ryan Pegelow then had RBI singles to highlight the fourth inning uprising.

In the second game the WTB baseball team from Iowa downed Medina this time by a score of 8-1 as the Mustangs were limited to only 4 hits.

The Medina Mustangs 16U split a pair of games today to open competition in the Can-O-Corn Baseball Tournament in Sandusky, Ohio.

Medina opened with a come-from-behind 13-12 win over the Whitby, Ontario Cubs.

Trailing 12-9, the Mustangs rallied for the win by scoring 4 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning highlighted by triples by Jimmy Dieter and Brady Christiaansen.

Earlier, the Mustangs tied the game at 9-9 by scoring 5 times in the fourth inning as Lucas Kimber had a triple, Christiaansen a double and Ryan Pegelow a single.

Christiaansen and Lukas Grimes both finished with a pair of hits.

In the second game, Medina was blanked 11-0 by the WTB Baseball team from Iowa as the Mustangs managed just 1 hit.

WTD broke the game open with a big 8 run fourth inning.

The Mustangs will continue tournament play on Sunday.

Contributed Photos – Kara Choate, left, and Justine Laverty

This season the veteran lineups for the Roberts Wesleyan University women’s soccer and field hockey teams will both include Roy-Hart graduates.

Kara Choate is a junior forward on the Roberts women’s soccer team.

A three year player, she started all 20 games last season.

An education major, Choate earned Niagara-Orleans League Player of the Year honors her senior year at Roy-Hart.

Justine Laverty is a junior midfielder on the Roberts field hockey team.

She played in all 12 games last year which was the first field hockey season for Roberts.

Laverty, who earned N-O All-League honors during her scholastic days at Roy-Hart, is a Pre Vet major.

Roberts will open the soccer season on September 5 against Lake Erie College and the field hockey campaign on September 6 against Mercy.

Local youth football action gets underway Saturday with the start of the Niagara Orleans Football Association (NOFA) season.

Teams from 12 area communities are taking part in the league this season with competition in four age group divisions – Beginner, Mini, JV and Varsity.

Saturday’s season openers will have Lyndonville at Albion, Holley at Tri-Town, Roy-Hart/Barker at Batavia, Akron at Pembroke, Oakfield/Elba at Newfane and LeRoy at Attica.

Since Albion does not have a Varsity Division team this season, the games against Lyndonville at Bullard Park will be at 11 a.m. for the Beginners, 1 p.m. for the Mini and 3 p.m. for the JV. The Lyndonville Varsity Division team will play at Newfane.

Each team will play 8 regular season games. Playoffs will then be held on October 19 and 26.

Contributed Photos – Abby Scanlan, left, and Claire Squicciarini

Two Albion High graduates are key veteran players for the Alfred University women’s soccer team which beings its season on August 30 against Hilbert.

The Purple Eagles are represented by senior Defender/Midfielder Claire Squicciarini and junior Forward Abby Scanlan.

Squicciarini, a three year player who started all of Alfred’s games each of the past two seasons has career totals of 4 goals and 2 assists.

Scanlan, a two year player who earned first team Empire 8 All Conference honors last fall as she led Alfred in scoring with 12 points on 5 goals and 2 assists. She has career totals of 7 goals and 4 assists.

Squicciarini is majoring in Communications Studies and Scanlan in Criminal Justice.

During their scholastic days at Albion Squicciarini and Scanlan were both multi year first team Niagara-Orleans All-League honorees.

Contributed Photo  via Golf Week- Melanie Green, shown her at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship last week, has been selected to be a member of the United States Curtis Cup team.

Continuing an outstanding summer of major international golf competition, Medina’s Melanie Green has been selected as one of the eight members of the United States Curtis Cup team.

The U.S. team, which was announced today,  will compete against a team from Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup competition August 30 – September 1 at Sunningdale, England.

“This is so exciting. She is doing awesome,” said her mother Melissa Green.

First played in 1932, the Curtis Cup is the most prestigious team trophy for women amateur golfers and is held biennially.

The format for the tournament is three foursomes and three fourball matches on each of the first two days and eight singles matches on the final day.

Green was selected after capturing the R&A British Amateur Championship in Ireland earlier this summer and then reaching the round of 32 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship last week. She was also a member of Team USA which won the Arnold Palmer Cup in Ireland in July.She also competed in the Evion Cup in France which is one of the five majors on the LPGA schedule.